Pinball table/dining table combination

ABSTRACT

A piece of specialized furniture is presented which permits the use of a pinball machine while holding beverage glasses and dining utensils and plates. The furniture is constructed from wood or plastic and possesses a transparent observation panel in its upper surface that allows unobstructed viewing of the pinball machine playing area, and allows access to the paddle buttons and ball starting controls.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to furniture for recreational use in a commercialenvironment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the need for table that will hold drinksand food while allowing a pinball machine player to see the displaysurface of the game he is playing. There is a need for specializedfurniture that will allow pinball players to eat and drink while usingthe equipment, instead of placing their plates and glasses on themachine itself.

There are several entertainment devices that combine a game with anotherfeature, such as U.S. Pat. No. D251,515 to Richter, but there are noprior art devices that comprise a separate covering table that can beattached to a standard-sized pinball machine. The advantages of thepresent invention over prior art devices are apparent, and the deviceitself is easy to manufacture and keep clean, requiring no retrofittingof the gaming apparatus to be used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is comprised of a table made out of a rigidmaterial that possesses four table legs and associated bracing members.The table possesses a transparent panel in its upper surface largeenough to allow an unobstructed view of an underlying pinball machine'sdisplay surface, as well as a surrounding ledge that is wide enough tohold beverage glasses and small food plates.

The purpose of the invention is to allow pinball players to play whileenjoying food and drink, without requiring them to place their glassesand plates on the glass surface of the pinball machine. This inventionreduces dish and glass breakage and damage to the glass pinball machinecover, and reduces the need to clean the pinball machine glass of stainsand beverage glass rings.

OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has several objectives.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a table with atransparent upper surface that overlays a standard-sized pinballmachine.

It is a further objective of the present invention to provide such atable in a low-cost configuration.

It is a further objective of the present invention to provide such atable in a configuration that requires no retrofitting of standard-sizedpinball machines.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1. Perspective view of the invention

FIG. 2. Side view of the invention

FIG. 3. Front view of the invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention 100 is comprised of a table-like structure constructedfrom rigid materials, as in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3. The invention100 possesses a plurality of legs 101, a plurality of cross members 102,decorative corbels 103, a plurality of shelves 104 and a removable clearobservation surface 105. In the preferred embodiment of the invention,The rigid material comprising the invention 100 is wood, there are fourlegs 101 as shown in FIG. 1, and there are two shelves 104.

An alternate embodiment consists of shelves 104 that fold down andcorbels 103 that fold out of the way to permit this. An alternate rigidmaterial that comprises the invention 100 is plastic.

The invention 100 is sized to fit around the body of a pinball machine(in outline), as shown in FIG. 1. The control buttons on the side of thepinball machine and pull-back ball starter and start button on the frontof the machine are easily available with the invention 100 in place, andthe pinball back display and playing surface are clearly visible.

Players can rest their eating implements, plates, and drinks on theshelves 104 or on the clear observation surface 105, without marking ordamaging the pinball machine itself. The observation surface 105 can beremoved for easy cleaning, and to permit inspection of the pinballmachine. The legs 101 and cross members 102 can be removed andreattached to permit easy fitting of the invention 100 around thepinball machine.

While the foregoing describes a preferred mode and an alternateembodiment, variation on this design and equivalent methods may beresorted to in the scope and spirit of the claimed invention.

1. A pinball machine dining table, the dining table comprised of a flatupper surface, a plurality of sides, and a plurality of supporting legs,The upper surface possessing a transparent observation surface in itscenter with a plurality of surrounding shelves, The transparentobservation surface sized to permit a clear view of an underlyingindustry-standard pinball machine, The pinball machine dining tablesized to cover and surround the pinball machine.
 2. A pinball machine asin claim 1 where the upper surface is rectangular in shape and there aretwo surrounding shelves.
 3. A pinball machine as in claim 1 where thesurrounding shelves are held up by decorative corbels attached to thesides of the dining table.
 4. A method of using a pinball machine diningtable, as in claim 1, comprised of the steps of installing the pinballmachine dining table around an industry-standard pinball machine,positioning the upper surface of the pinball machine dining table suchthat the transparent observation surface is directly over theindustry-standard pinball machine, placing beverage glasses and diningplates on the surrounding shelves, operating the pinball machine whileobserving the pinball machine through the transparent observationsurface.